The United Kingdom Is on the Verge of Legalizing Gay Marriage

Brilliant—in the British-English sense—news coming out of the United Kingdom: “Britain is on course to adopt gay marriage after the House of Commons voted to give the marriage (same sex couples) bill a second reading by a majority of 225,” The Guardianreports. “The bill will still have to receive line-by-line scrutiny in the Commons, and then it will have to get through the Lords, but the size of the majority, and the fact that the leaders of all three main parties are in favour, suggest that it is now inevitable that gay marriage will become law.”

Not so fast: due to a little-known Constitutional stipulation, all pieces of legislation, even those not created by or for Americans citizens, must also receive a vote of approval from the United States Congress and South Carolina Republican senator Lindsey Graham. We know, we know! It doesn’t make any sense! But try telling that to the Portuguese Assembly, which was blocked from O.K.-ing the production of commemorative stamp due to concern from Texas representative Randy Neugebauer that its “shape and stuff” made an implicit argument in favor of “legalizing all abortions.” Incredible, we know, but those are the rules!

You might ask: Why does the United States Congress and South Carolina Republican senator Lindsey Graham possibly even care whether British citizens in same-sex partnerships receive the same rights as their straight counterparts? Well, the same reason the United States Congress and South Carolina Republican senator Lindsey Graham care whether American citizens in same-sex partnerships receive the same rights as their straight counterparts: there is no reason, only precedent. Sorry, Brits!